Rib-knitting machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. W. SCTT. RIB KNITI'ING MAGHINE. N0. 577,788. Patentd Feb'. 23, 1897.

l "ii NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOLOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, OF ASHBOURN'E, PENNSYLVANIA.

RIB-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,788, dated February23, 189'?. Application filed May 7, 1896. Serial No. 590,573. `(Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. SCOTT, Aa citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Bib-Knitting Machines, of

which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a rib-knitting machine withmeans whereby a facing or lining weft or wefts may be com- 1o bined withthe ribbed fabric, and this object I attain in the manner hereinafterset forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, of sufficient of acircular rib-knitting machine to illustrate the application ofmyinvention thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof a presser-wheel forming oneof the elements of the machine. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, butillustrating another embodiment of my invention; and Fig. 4L is asectional diagram illustrating still another form of machine within thescope of the invention.

A represents part of the fixed circular bed z5 of the machine, and Bpart of the vertical needle-cylinder secured to said bed and having theusual grooves for the vertical guidance of the needles a, which arevertically reciprocated in the ordinary manner by means of cams carriedby the cam-cylinder D, the latter being rotated from the driving-shaftof the machine by means of the usual gearing.

Part of the circular-dial cam-plate is shown at F, said plate beingcarried by the central 3 5 spindle F', and the latter being supposed tobe connected with the cam-cylinder D in the usual manner, so as torotate therewith.

An annular needle-dial G is mounted upon brackets b on the under side ofthe dial camplate F and has radial grooves for the reception andguidance of the dial-n eedles d, which are operated by cams on the underside of the dial cam-plate F in the ordinary manner, any of the usualmeans being employed for locking the annular dial G to the verticalneedlecylinder B, so as to prevent rotation of said dial with thecam-plate F.

In the operation of the machine it is necessary to depress alternateneedles a or groups 5o of such needles, and while various means may beused for this purpose within the scope of my invention the means which Iprefer to use are those shown in Figs. l and 2, and which I will nowdescribe.

Mounted upon and rotating with the camcylinder D is a post f, upon whichis mounted, so as to turn freely, a presser-wheel I, having formed inits periphery alternate deep and shallow notches, this presser-wheeloccupying such relation to the needles a of the cylinder 6o B that asthe cam-cylinder D is rotated the notched periphery of saidpresser-Wheel will engage with the needles a, and those needles whichAengage with the shallow notches will be pressed inward, as shown inFig. l, so as to provide for the introduction of a weftthread into thehooks of the needles thus pressed inward, said weft-thread lying behindthe stitches carried by the needles not so pressed and under thestitches of the dial- 7o needles.

For the purpose of properly laying in this weft-thread I mount upon oneof the brackets b a guide plate or finger h, having .at its outer end asuitable eye for the guidance of the weft, this finger being bypreference lo- `cated immediately in advance of the cams which impartthe reciprocating or knitting movement to the needles of the cylinderand dial, so that the weft-thread will be fed to the 8o depressedneedles a just before the latter rise to receive the knitting-threadfrom the guide The guide h may receive its weft-thread from a bobbin J,mounted upon a frame J', 85 secured to the lower end of the spindle F',so as to rotate with the cam-cylinderD and camplate F, or it may receivethread through a slot K or equivalent opening in the dial camplate F,the thread in this case being derived go from a bobbin located abovesaid cam-plate. By this means the i'leecing weft will be laid on theinside of the fabric and will pass over the wales of the inner face,namely, those l formed by the stitches drawn by the dial-needles, butwill be caught by the knittingthread where the latter passes from walesof the inner face to wales of the outer face, as set forth in anapplication for patent filed by me on the 4th day of May, 1896, SerialNo. loo 590,130.

When the machine is constructed as shown in the drawings, the weft willbe tied in only at every other wale of the outer face of the fabric andWill lioat over pairs of wales of the inner face, but by depressing allof the needles of the cylinder the weft may be tied in at every wale ofthe outer face and may be carried around each separate wale of-the innerface, and the extent of the ties and iioats may be regulated as desiredby varying the number and relation of the depressed needles of thecylinder.

The number of needles may be so proportioned in respect to the number ofnotches in the presser-wheel I that the needles which are not pressed informing one course will be pressed inward in forming the next course,the needles which were pressed inward in forming the first course beingrelieved from pressure in forming the next course, so that in one coursethe weft will be tied at certain wales of the fabric, while in the nextcourse it will be tied at alternate wales, and so on throughout, so asto provide for better disposal of the weft-loops on the face of thefabric than could be effected if said wefts were tied at the same walesof the fabric on each course. The same result may be attained in atwo-feed machine by having at one feedingpoint a presser adapted todepress certain needles, and at the other feeding-point a presseradapted to depress the other needles.

While I prefer in all cases to press the needles' of the cylinder B, myinvention in its broadest form covers also the pressing of the needlesof the dial, and in Fig. 3 Ihave shown a machine in which this method ofoperation is adopted, the weft-thread guide h in this case occupying aposition close to the inner face of the cylinder B, so as to lay itsweftthread outside of the knitted web, but inside of thecylinder-needles and alternately above and below the dial-needles, whichare acted upon by a presser-wheel I.

My invention is applicable to straight machines as well as to circularmachines. Hence in some of the claims I have used the termneedle-carrier7 as applicable either to the cylinder or dial or to astraight needle-bed.

The needle-carriers may be at any desired angle in respect to each otherormay even be parallel or in line with each other, an instance of thelatter construction being shown in Fig. 4.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patentl. The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of theneedle-carriers, the needles, cams for operating said needles, aknitting-thread guide, means for separating the needles of one of thecarriers for the application of a weftthread, and provision for applyingsu ch weftthread from the inner side of the machine.

2. The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of a needle-cylinder, aneedle-dial, the needles, a cam-cylinder, a dial cam-plate, aknitting-thread guide, means for separating the needles of one of theneedle-carriers for the application of a weft-thread, and provision forapplying said weft-thread from the inner side of the machine.

3. The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of the needle-cylinder,the cam-cylinder, the dial, the dial cam-plate, the needles and theknitting-thread guide, with means for separating certain of the needlesof the cylinder for the application of a weft-thread, and provision forapplying said weft-thread from the inner side of the machine.

4. The combination of the needle-cylinder, the dial, the needles, thecam-cylinder, the dial cam-plate and the knitting-thread guide of arib-knitting machine, with means for separating certain of the needlesof one of the needle-carriers for the application of a weftthread,provision for feeding said weft-thread from the innerside of themachine, and a bobbin mounted on the inner side of the machine forsupplying said thread-feeder.

5. The combination of the needle-cylinder and annular needle-dial, theknitting-thread guide, a cam-cylinder and a dial cam-plate provided withmeans by which said annular needle-dial is supported, with means forseparating certain of the needles of one of the needle-carriers for theapplication of a weftthread, and provision for applying said weftthreadfrom the inner side of the machine.

6. The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of needle-carriers,theirneedles, cams for operating said needles, one or moreknitting-thread guides, one or more rotatable pressers for laterallyseparating the needles of one of the needle-carriers for the applicationof a weft-thread, and provision for applying said weft-thread from theinner side of the machine.

7.' The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of needle-carriers, theirneedles, cams for operating said needles, one or more knitting-threadguides, one or more rotatable pressers for laterally separating theneedles of one of the needle-carriers for the application of aweft-thread, and provision for applying said weft-thread from the innerside of the machine, said presser or pressers being constructed asdescribed, whereby the `needles depressed in some courses are differentfrom those depressed in the other courses.

8. The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of two needle-carrierseach provided with needles, a knitting-thread guide, cams for operatingthe needles so as to cause them to form stitches, and a weft-threadguide located on the inner side of the machine whereby it is adapted tofeed weft-thread to the inner side of the fabric which is being producedby the needles.

9. The combination in a rib-knitting machine, of a needle-cylinder andits needles, a supplementary needle-carrier having needles adapted tocooperate with those of the needle-cylinder to produce a ribbed web,camcarriers having cams for operating the nee- IIO dles of theneedle-Cylinderand supplementary needle-dial, and provision forintroducing a needle-carrier, and a mounting for said snpi thread on theinside of said annular needleplementary needle-carrier affordingprovidial. sion for the introduction of a thread on the In testimonywhereof I have signed my 5 inside of the latter. naine to thisspeoieation in the presence of 15 10. The combination in a rib-knittingInatwo subscribing` Witnesses. chine, of a needle-cylinder and itsneedles, an ROBERT WV. SCOTT. annular needle-dial and its needles, aeam- Vitnesses: cylinder and its earns, a dial Cam-p1ate and J 0S. H.KLEIN, Io its Gains, means for supporting the annular F. E. BECHTOLD.

